Draft-rigging for railway-cars.



Patented Mar. 26, I90].

No. 670,734. A

a. P. BITTER DRAFT RIGGING FUR RAILWAY 0ARS. (Application filed Dec. 22, 1900.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l,

m: NORRIS PETERS to, Pucro-Llmo. wumun'rdu. n c.

No. 870,734. v Patented Mar. 26, 19m.

a. P. BITTER.

DRAFT RIGGING FUR RAILWAY CARS.

(Application filed Dec. 22, 1900. (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Shoot 2.

I flvegfor m: NORRIS virus 00 rno'ro-umov. wxsumm'om u. n.

No. 670,734. Patented Mar. 26, I90l.

a. P. BITTER.

DRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWAY GAIFS. ("a "MIN-)- (Application filed Dec. 22, 1900) 3 sheatsfsheet 3 l l I l II I "Alli milk wzwaiai' position they assume during draft.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GILBERT P. BITTER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HARRY BUHOUP, OF SAME PLACE.

DRAFT-RIGGING FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,734, dated March 26, 1901.

Application filed December 22, 1900. Serial No. 40,767. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GILBERT P. BITTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Rigging for Railway- Cars; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view from below, partly in horizontal section, of draft-rigging embodying my invention, the parts being in the normal condition or at rest. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, the parts being shown in the Fig. 3 is a View partly in vertical longitudinal section and partly in side elevation of the draft-rigging shown in Fig. l and embodying my invention.

Like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur.

My invention relates to that class of springcushioned draft-riggin g wherein are combined draft and buffing devices, and has for its object to overcome the backlash or jumping of the devices when reversed, thus preventing those sudden and severe blows and shocks which tend to the deterioration and destruction of both the draft devices and the carbody.

As is Well understood by those familiar with railway practice, in all cases where the endwise movement of the draw-bar in draft and buffing is cushioned by springs or like means intended to gradually assume the load and relieve the structure of shocks and blows the movement of the draw-bar in pulling or buffing increases or diminishes the distance between the carslengthens out or shortens the train-and such lost motion when suddenly taken up by the springs upon the reversal of the draw-bar results in violent shocks highly injurious to the structure.

In order to overcome the jumping of the draw-bar at such times as the movement thereof is reversed, I combine with the draw-bar a series of rollers and yieldinglysupported rocking plates or track-plates with which the rollers coact, said rollers being located on opposite sides of and preferably equidistant from the rocking center of the track-plate, whereby a constantly-increasing resistance is applied to the draw-bar from the time of its initial movement ineither direction, and such a construction embodies one feature of my invention. Preferably the rollers are journaled. on an endwise movable draw-bar, and the yieldingly-supported rocking plates or trackplates are spring-s11 pported on both sides of the rockingcenteror axis of motion and mounted on the draft-timbers of the car-bod y, and such an arrangement of the combination above noted embodies a secondary feature of my invention. I also prefer that the rollers shall taper from the center to the journals and that the rocking plates or yielding track-plates shall be correspondingly grooved on tapers which shallow continuously from the center to the ends of the track-plate, whereby the resistance to the endwise movement of the draw-bar in either direction gradually increases from the center or axis of the rocking plate or track-plate in either direction according to the movement of the draw-bar, the force being neutralized or counterbalanced when the rocking plate and draw-bar are in their normal positions or at rest, and such a construction embodies a third feature of my invention.

There are other minor features of invention, all as will hereinafter more fully appear. r

I will now proceed to describe my invention more fully, so that others skilled in the art to which it appertains may apply the same.

In the drawings, 1 indicates a suitable housing or casing for the draft and buffing mechever, the two sections may be formed integral or with a central web which passes under the strap B of the draw-bar and connects the side sections a b. v

4 4 indicate rocking plates or track-plates,

each of which, where two are employed,may

be provided at its center with a hemispherical projection or pivot projection 5, adapted to rest in the pivot-seat 3 of the housing, so that the rocking plate may tilt to accommodate itself to the endwise movement of the draw-bar and the travel of the rollers.

Within the spring-pockets 2 2 of the casing are springs 6 6, which may be provided with rocking caps 6 6 where they bear on the opposite ends of the rocking plate or track-plate Y 4, and said springs are inserted under more i or less compression, so as to neutralize each other when the rocking plates are at rest or the rocking plate or track-plate is at rest (see ing center or axis of motion of the track-plate, so that on the movement of the draw-bar in either direction one roller or set of rollers will move away from and the other roller or set of rollers will move toward the rocking,

center of the track-plate, and the springs or yielding supports of the rocking-plate will be alternately compressed and permitted to expand, so as to maintain a constantly-increasing resistance to the draw-bar from its initial width at the center, where they unite, and ta- 4 pering or gradually shallowing and narrowing outward to the ends of the rocking plate, as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

7 7 indicate rollers which may be journaled on the shank of the draw-bar, the tail-strap B of the draw-bar O, or in other manner suitably supported so as to coact with the drawbar and the rocking plates 4:. These rollers are preferably in the form of truncated cones united at their bases, or, in other words, taper from the center to the ends, which form,

when taken in connection with a corresponding track in the face of the rocking plate, in-

creases the bearing between the rollers and the plate and insures the centering and travel of the rollers.

The construction and combination of the devices being of the general character hereinbefore pointed out their operation will be.

. as follows: On either the inward or outward movement of the draw-bar the leading roller will travel away from the center of the rocking plate or track-plate which will force the plate outward at the corresponding.end,gradually compressingone spring or set of springs and increasing the resistance to the'movement of the draw-bar, while the following roller will move toward the center of the rocking plate or track-plate and the rocking plate by its inward movement at the rear and the gradual expansion of the corresponding spring will be maintained in constant contact with the following roller, so that on the reversal of the draw-bar resistance will be immediately applied by the rear spring to the draw-bar through the rocking plate and the following roller, which has in turn become the leading roller, and said resistance will gradually increase during the entire reverse movement of the draw-bar. The tendency of the springs and rocking plate or track-plate to reach an equilibrium or state of rest will counteract vibration and assist in bringing the draw-bar to its normal position. It will be noted that a single yieldingly-supported rock I ing plate or track-plate coa cting with a plu- Fig. 1) the rollers will stand on opposite sides I of and preferably equidistant from the rockrality of rollers and the draw-bar constitutes the typical combination and may be so employed in combination with an opposed support for the travel of the rollers and the centering of the draw-bar, but the arrangement herein shown,wherein two opposed yieldinglysupported rocking plates are combined with a pair of interposed rollers and with the drawbar, is in my opinion the preferable form of construction.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a draft-rigging for railway-cars, the combination with an endwise-movable drawbar, of a yieldingly-supported rocking plate or track-plate, and a plurality of rollers arranged on opposite sides of the rocking center of said track-plate, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. In a draft-rigging for railway-cars, the combination with an endwise-movable drawbar, of a plurality of yieldingly-supported rocking plates or track-plates arranged on opposite sides of said draw-bar, and a pluralityof interposed rollers arranged on opposite sides of the rocking centers of said track'- plates, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. In a draft-rigging for railway-cars, the combination with an endwise-movable drawbar, of spring-supported rocking plates, and interposed rollers carried by the draw-bar, said rollers being arranged on opposite sides of the centers of motion of the rocking plates, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. In a draft-rigging for railway-cars, the combination with an endwise-movable drawbar,of a yielding rocking plate having diverging taper grooves, and rollers which taper re- 1 plate, of springs which yieldingly support the versely from the center, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. In a draft-rigging for railway-cars, the combination with an endwise-movable drawbar, of rollers, a pivotally-supported trackplate for the rollers and springs for yieldingly supporting the ends of the track-plate, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

6. In a. draft-rigging for railway-cars, the combination with an endWise-movable drawbftl, suitable rollers, and a pivoted trackends of the track-plates, and rock-cups interposed between the springs and track-plate, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 20th day of December, 1900.

7 GILBERT P. RITTER. Witnesses:

E. C. BATES, JAMES W. DUNOVAN. 

